Promoted to P2 Next to Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen Reveals He Preferred a P4 Finish Instead: “If You Have a Bad Start…”

In the midst of the 2023 season’s dominance, Max Verstappen’s pole position streak faced a hurdle as Charles Leclerc secured his 23rd pole, complemented by Carlos Sainz’s impressive P2  performance. However, thanks to Sainz’s subsequent 10-place penalty, the Dutchman has moved up to P2. Nevertheless, amid these shifting positions, Verstappen clearly expressed his aim for P4, believing it would offer a strategic advantage.

Despite a commendable P2 in the inaugural Las Vegas GP, Verstappen made an intriguing statement during a post-qualifying interview. The 26-year-old expressed a preference for P4, offering an interesting perspective. He said, “I think it’s a bit like the first race in Austin,  the inside was bad. That’s not ideal. That’s why I was actually hoping to be fourth. Because then I would have moved up to P3 [and to the clean side].”

 

Max Verstappen told the media that he would have preferred forth day: “I think it’s a bit like the first race in Austin: the inside was bad. That’s not ideal. That’s why I was actually hoping to be fourth. Because then I would have moved up to P3 [and to the clean side].”

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It’s interesting that Verstappen brought out the problem of the poor inside line, which brings to mind issues at the Austin circuit. Recalling difficulties with lack of grip and braking on hard tires, Verstappen said he would rather start from the clean side of the second row in position four. The choice had been made to prevent track limit violations and to make overtaking easier.

Nevertheless, now that Verstappen is competing in P2 alongside Charles Leclerc on a circuit where tire graining matters a lot, it will be interesting to watch how the Dutchman handles the pressure. Still, despite uncertainties about the future, Verstappen presently maintains an optimistic outlook. He said, “But it is what it is. We deal with it.”

What verdict did Max Verstappen offer for the inaugural Las Vegas track?

Despite Max Verstappen and his team’s consistent race pace dominance throughout the season, they faced a rare setback in one-lap races. The trend continued as Verstappen found himself once again outperformed by Charles Leclerc in Q3 at the inaugural Las Vegas GP. Considering this, the Dutchman discussed his opinions over his fall from pole position at the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix.

He said, “I think we maximised today. I think the whole weekend so far we have been lacking a bit of one-lap performance, and that was quite clear.” Certainly, the Las Vegas track poses a formidable challenge for all teams, particularly with the freezing temperatures. The combination of twisty chicanes and slow hairpins, coupled with an expected low temperature of around 10-12 degrees Celsius, presents the risk of front tire freezing on the straights.

However, even with this awareness of difficult circumstances, teams are not settling for inferior results, as Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko’s encouraging reaction indicates. He said, ” We have carried out some renovation work and increased the top speed and are optimistic for tomorrow. It’s a race that is decided by tire wear.”

Nevertheless, even as Helmut Marko remained hopeful for the upcoming race his team’s star driver, Max Verstappen, shared a contrasting sentiment. When asked about his experience on Thursday regarding the circuit in Las Vegas, the Dutchman didn’t seem to be happy, giving the impression that the session wasn’t very enjoyable. While wrapping up, Verstappen said, “I’ve had better tracks in my life.”